Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



V J. A. STEINMETZ. FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY8, 1914.

L1@2,81Q Patented July 7,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q E v E 73 V/fl/IQZ WITNESSES.-

/ I INF/V702 J. A. STEINMBTZ.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1914.

Patented July 7, 19M.

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2 SHELTS-SHEET z.

By %W%w WITNESSES ATTORNEY.

tinrrnn STATE egress ent ies,

JOSEPH A. STEINMETZ, OF PHILADELIPHIA, EENNSYLVANIA.

FIRE-EXTINGUISBIING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July *3, 19145.:

Application filed May 8, 1914. Serial No. 837,14

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. STEINMETZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in'the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements inFire-Extinguishing Apparatus, of which the lets.

following is a specification, reference being bad therein to theaccompanying drawing.-

My invention relates to the extinguishing apparatus and is especiallyadapted to dry pipe systems and those wherein gas is chemicallygenerated for creating pressure upon a fire extinguishing liquid andthus discharging the latter through suitable out- In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a portion of a locatednear the ground and provided with a constantly ascending brancheddischarge pipe C having its branches 0 each provided with a suitablevalve C and adapted for connecting the usual lire hose D. In each of thebranches normally rests a weight- E, shown as a ball, arranged to bereleased by opening the correspmlding valve so that it may pass downwithin the pipe by gravity, and by its impact or weight operate devicesto be described and thus cause high pressure in the reservoir B, Whilesuch devices may be varied in construction and location, they are shownas involving two upwardly open chemical-containers F, eccentricallypivoted at I so that they normally stand in stable equilibrium. Betweentheir upper adjacent margins is a movable \vedgedike or conical member Gfixed to a rod G sliding in a bearing in a diaphragm G itself fixed inthe lower part of the pipe and normally sustained by a light spring llinter-postal between the diaphragm and a plate lllixcd to the upper endoi the rod. The bearing is made gas tight under-gas tension in the tankby means of a pliable di k l carried by the rod and pressed upwardagainst the diaphragm by the gas below. v If any oi the valves above beopened, the corresponding weight in the pipe falls by gravity and whenit reaches the plate H compresses the spring, depresses the wed e, andupsetsuthc containers F, as indicated in dotted'lines. The chemicalsthus discharged into thetan k are such that gas is generated in theusual way creating high pressure upon the liquid in the reservoir. Theliquid is thus forced through a pipe J leading from the lower" part ofthe tank into the pipe C at a point above the plate H and thence passesupward Y to be discharged through the pipe branch in which the valve wasopened,

To avoidhdangerous pressure when the opened valve is closed before thegeneration oi gas ceases, a pipe K-leads from the upper portion of thepipt G to the open air and is provided with any suitable saiet valve K,preferably protected by a suitab e housing L. if the weights be heavy,it is not indispensable to rely upon impact for depressing the wedge,nor the weights necessarily invariable in character, nor is theconstruction in other respects unchangeable; and I do not, thereforewish to limit the claims to the construction set forth.

What claim is: I

1. In apparatus of the class described, thecombination with a standpipesystem arranged to provide for free downward passage of actuatingweights and connectedv with a reservoir below, means for releasing.

weights within the pipes of said system, and means actuated by theweights for causing gas producing chemicals to react and force liquidout of the reservoir into said system.

2. The combination with a reservoir for liquid, of a pipe extendingupwardly therefrom and having a distant discharge opening, means forcreating gas pressure in the reservoir, 'a weight normally held at fldistance from the reservoir and adapted to fall within said pipe bygravity, means for releasing the weight, and means operated by thedescending weight for putting said presf-Llll'(-('l0illllI1I meansintofaction.

3. The combination with a liquid containing recervoir, of a pipeextending upwardly therefrom and adapted for discharging said liquid ata distant point, a weight within said pipe, normally held in raisedposition and adapted to fall there n by gravity,

meansfor releasing the weight, and means whereby the released weightcauses the generation of gaspressure 1n the reservoir.

t. The combination with aliquid contain-,

ing reservoir, of a pipe extending upwardly thereitrom and having anupwardly inclined valve controlled. branch at a distance from thereservoir, a Weight normally held in said branch and arranged to bereleased by opening the valve, and means, operated by the releasedweight for creating the reservoir.

The combination with a liquid contain ing reservoir and a pipe leadingupwardly therefrom and'provided with upwardly inclined valve controlledbranches at various heights, of a series of valve released Weightsnormally held in the branches, respectively, and a chemical containerarranged to be discharged by any of said Weights, in fall ing andthereby to create gas pressure in sale. reservoir,

The combination with a liquid containing reservoir and. a pipe leadingconstantly upward therefrom and having distant valve controlled outlet,a Weight normally held in raised position in said pipe by the closedvalve, a receptacle 'il'or gas producing chemicals located in thereservoir, and means whereby the descending Weight, released by openingthe valve, causes the discharge of said chemicals into the reservoir.'2'. The combination. with a reservoir for liquid, of pipe extendingupwardly therefrom and having upwardly inclined branches at differentpoints, valves controlling the pressure in discharge from said branches,respectively, balls normally resting in the branches, re spectively, andeach arranged to be released by opening the corresponding valve, achemical container arranged to be discharged into the reservoir by anyfalling ball, and a discharge :pipe leading from the lower partof thereservoir into the pipe first mentioned at some distance from its lower,

end.

8 The combination with a liquid reservoir and a branched pipe leadingcontinuous y upward therefrom, of an eccentrically pivoted upwardly openchemical container Within the reservoir, valves controlling the branchesof said pipe, respectively, weights normally lying in thebranches,respectively, and each arranged to be released by the openingof the corresponding valve, a conduit leading from the upper part ofsaid pipe to the open air and provided With a safety valve, means forchemically creating

